The Green Bay Packers’ receiving corps might be the most scrutinized position in the NFL.
Since the Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, one tidbit of information seems to surface.
The last time the Green Bay Packers took a wide receiver in the first round, it was Javon Walker in the 2002 iteration of the NFL Draft.
Of course, they famously passed on several receivers to take Love after playing for the NFC championship following the 2019 regular season.
Instead, the Packers have done what they usually do.
In their last two draft classes, all of their second and third round picks have been used on offense.
Christian Watson, Sean Rhyan, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft all were selected each of the last two years.
All of them contributed as well.
The discourse surrounding what round each receiver was picked in was always silly to begin with. The infamous Sports Illustrated cover with Aaron Rodgers and all of his weapons from the 2011 Packers included one first round pick. That was Rodgers.
Despite that, the discourse remained this offseason, and chaos ensued when the Packers selected Lukas Van Ness in the first round instead of Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
More discourse emerged when the Packers did not bring in a single veteran receiver to help guide what turned out to be a historically young receiving corps.
Sammy Watkins, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb were all on the 2022 team. None of them returned for 2023. Instead, the oldest receiver on the Packers’ roster were second year guys.
Watson and Romeo Doubs were being asked to lead a receiver room full of rookies.
There was optimism surrounding both of those players. Doubs spent his offseason working out with Love and helping build chemistry that at times rivaled that of Rodgers and Jordy Nelson.
Watson shook off early season struggles as a rookie to become the team’s best receiver by the end of the year.
He had a 100-yard receiving game in the team’s 20-16 loss to the Detroit Lions but looked to have finally earned the trust of Rodgers as the season ended.
Watson was a touchdown machine to finish 2022 and was trying to carry that over into 2023.
Unfortunately for Watson, his body betrayed him at two specific points during the year.
Watson would miss the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury that he suffered after the preseason ended.
It took him awhile to get back on track but looked to finally start resembling the player that took the league by storm in the second half of the 2022 season.
Watson had big games against Detroit and Kansas City, including a statement 53-yard reception to open their game against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
He scored two touchdowns on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs in the team’s signature victory of the 2023 season.
Unfortunately, Watson’s hamstring gave out on him again, and he’d miss the rest of the regular season.
He returned for both postseason games but was limited in snaps and production.
Doubs had an up-and-down season as well. He finished tied for the team lead in touchdowns but would occasionally struggle with drops and overall ineffectiveness.
When the playoffs started, however, Doubs was Love’s go-to guy.
He had more than 150 yards receiving in the team’s 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Doubs didn’t have as big of a game against the San Francisco 49ers, but he was the team’s leading receiver with 83 yards on the night.
Doubs and Watson both will be looking for big seasons as they enter their third year in 2024.
The biggest story from the 2023 season were the two rookies that emerged as arguably the team’s two best receivers by the time the regular season ended.
Reed was the team’s highest draft choice at receiver when he was picked 50th overall.
Reed was the team’s best slot receiver since the days of Cobb roaming the middle of the field in his prime.
Reed had an instant connection with Love and had a speed and shiftiness that was evident from the day he stepped foot on the field.
Reed battled injuries throughout the year, but he displayed a toughness and game-breaking ability with the ball in his hands.
He led the team in receiving yards and tied with Doubs for touchdowns. In addition, he helped rewrite a record book that held the name of Sterling Sharpe in it before he got to Green Bay.
Reed is a versatile offensive chess piece that should be a big part of the offense in 2024.
The same is true for Dontayvion Wicks. Wicks and Reed are connected in that the Packers initially traded out of the 45th spot twice to get to pick 50 where they chose Reed.
In the process, they acquired a draft choice that would help them select Wicks.
Wicks missed most of training camp with an injury, but it was clear he was someone the Packers liked immediately.
In the second game of the season, the Packers ran a flea-flicker to start the game. The target on the play was Wicks. They could have drawn that up for any receiver on the team but they chose Wicks.
Wicks would reward their faith down the stretch. He was always open.
He made what was perhaps play of the year in Green Bay’s Wild Card win over the Cowboys. His finger tip grab after shaking Stephon Gilmore was one where his diverse skillset was on full display.
Wicks and Reed were the top two rookies, but they also got contributions from Malik Heath and Bo Melton. Melton was the team’s first 100-yard receiver on the season.
The receiving corps creates a diverse set of skills. It’d be foolish to compare them to the group from 2011, but it’s hard not to dream of what this group could accomplish together.
That’s before we even get to the tight ends.
Musgrave and Kraft both represent the biggest investment the Packers have made at the tight end position since the picking Bubba Franks in the first round more than 20 years ago.
Musgrave and Kraft both had high moments of the season. Musgrave started immediately. He looked to be a focal point of the offense from the day he came into camp.
It took a little more time for Kraft, but by the end of the season, both guys were playing regularly.
Musgrave and Kraft’s skillsets complement each other well. Musgrave can run like a deer and helps stretch the seam. He challenges defenses vertically.
Kraft is a violent blocker that can make plays after the ball is in his hands.
The Packers used a ton of two tight end sets in their dominant 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the postseason.
Matt LaFleur has never had a tight end group that did not give away their preference on offense. When Marcedes Lewis was in the game, they were predominantly a running team. When Robert Tonyan was on the field, they tended to throw more.
The truth now is, both tight ends are good enough blockers to keep the defense guessing.
Expect a lot of two tight end sets to be part of Green Bay’s offense in 2024.
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